Why Hoppers Hop

The Joneses left their church because they were dissatisfied and wanted something more. The researchers asking people why they switched churches say that’s a good thing. Most weren’t lured to the new church, but said they felt a lack of spiritual development and were not feeling engaged or involved in a meaningful way in their old setting. Half (48%) said their “needs weren’t being met.”

How can you minister to their dissatisfaction?

Brad Waggoner, head of research for LifeWay, which conducted the study, says, “The fact that the majority of church switchers express a desire to grow spiritually and become active in service should strike a chord of optimism for leaders. Where there is leadership, passion, determination, and an intentional strategy, church members can and will be developed and equipped for ministry.” Of the switchers, 76 percent say they are “devout Christians with a strong faith in God.”

Switchers often selected a new church that was significantly different from their former church, whether traditional, blended, or contemporary. Three-fourths of them switched to a church of a different size: 46 percent went to a larger church, and 29 percent attended a smaller church.

More than half also changed denomination. Only 44 percent considered denomination an important factor in selecting a new church.

As for additional reasons to leave their old church, many faulted other churchgoers, calling them judgmental (18%), hypocritical (15%), or cliquish (14%). Others took issue with the pastor: poor preaching (16%), or perceived character flaws such as being judgmental (14%) or hypocritical (13%).

“The character and attitudes of leaders matter in a big way,” says Waggoner.

Around 16 percent of those surveyed left because their former church had undergone too many changes. According to Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research, “These church switchers leave because they are unhappy with changes in the overall direction of the church. Respondents had the opportunity to select specific changes they did not like … but the largest proportion selected ‘too many changes in general,’ the culmination of many changes in the previous church they did not like.”